Real-time unmanned aerial vehicle connectivity

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a drone service retrieving network state information describing a network state of at least a portion of a communication network, determining an impact of the network state on operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), determining operational information for the UAV, and providing the operational information to the UAV. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to communications with Unmanned AerialVehicles (UAVs).

BACKGROUND

UAVs are used in a multitude of applications such as parcel delivery,infrastructure monitoring, and real-time video streaming, among others.The nature of communications with UAVs can vary greatly depending ontheir flight missions. For example, a UAV used for video streaming mayuse more communication bandwidth than a UAV used for parcel delivery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, non-limitingembodiment of a communications network in accordance with variousaspects described herein.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a system functioning within the communication network ofFIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating different UAV flight paths inaccordance with various aspects described herein.

FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating a UAV communicating with a basestation in a communication network in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein.

FIGS. 2D and 2E depict illustrative embodiments of methods in accordancewith various aspects described herein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a virtualized communication network in accordance withvarious aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of amobile network platform in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of acommunication device in accordance with various aspects describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for managing operations of UAVs that utilize terrestrialcommunication systems. Other embodiments are described in the subjectdisclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a device,comprising a processing system including a processor and a memory thatstores executable instructions that, when executed by the processingsystem, facilitate performance of operations. The operations may includeretrieving network state information describing a network state of atleast a portion of a communication network; determining an impact of thenetwork state on operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); andresponsive to the impact of the network state on the operation of theUAV, providing operational information to the UAV.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a non-transitory,machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, whenexecuted by a processing system including a processor, facilitateperformance of operations. The operations may include retrieving networkstate information describing a network state of at least a portion of acommunication network; determining an impact of the network state onoperation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); and responsive to theimpact of the network state on the operation of the UAV, providingoperational information to the UAV.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a methodcomprising: retrieving, by a processing system including a processor,network state information describing a network state of at least aportion of a communication network; determining, by the processingsystem, an impact of the network state on operation of an unmannedaerial vehicle (UAV); and responsive to the impact of the network stateon the operation of the UAV, providing, by the processing system,operational information to the UAV.

Additional aspects of the subject disclosure include receivingoperational constraints relating to operation of the UAV, anddetermining the operational information based at least in part on thenetwork state information and the operational constraints; wherein thenetwork state information describes at least one static attribute of thecommunication network; wherein the at least one static attributecomprises an antenna pattern; wherein the network state informationdescribes at least one dynamic attribute of the communication networksuch as a network node load; wherein the determining the impactcomprises determining a future impact on the operation of the UAV whenthe UAV is to be communicatively coupled to the communication network inthe future; wherein the network state information comprises expectedbandwidth availability at a plurality of network nodes, and theoperational information comprises a planned route for the UAV; whereinthe determining the impact comprises determining a current impact on theoperation of the UAV while the UAV is currently communicating with anetwork node of the communication network; wherein the network stateinformation comprises currently available bandwidth at the network node;wherein the operational information comprises a flight path for the UAV;and wherein the operational information comprises an altitude and/or alatitude and a longitude.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a block diagram is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a system 100 in accordance withvarious aspects described herein. For example, system 100 can facilitatein whole or in part UAV operations. In particular, a communicationsnetwork 125 is presented for providing broadband access 110 to aplurality of data terminals 114 via access terminal 112, wireless access120 to one more mobile devices 124, one or more vehicles 126, and/or oneor more UAVs 128, via base station or access point 122, voice access 130to a plurality of telephony devices 134, via switching device 132 and/ormedia access 140 to a plurality of audio/video display devices 144 viamedia terminal 142. In addition, communication network 125 is coupled toone or more content sources 175 of audio, video, graphics, text and/orother media. While broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voiceaccess 130 and media access 140 are shown separately, one or more ofthese forms of access can be combined to provide multiple accessservices to a single client device (e.g., mobile devices 124 can receivemedia content via media terminal 142, data terminal 114 can be providedvoice access via switching device 132, data terminal 114 can be providedmedia content provide by UAV 128, and so on).

The communications network 125 includes a plurality of network elements(NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the broadband access 110,wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or thedistribution of content from content sources 175. The communicationsnetwork 125 can include a circuit switched or packet switched network, avoice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network, Internet protocol (IP)network, a cable network, a passive or active optical network, a 4G, 5G,or higher generation wireless access network, WIMAX network,UltraWideband network, personal area network or other wireless accessnetwork, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communicationsnetwork.

In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include a digitalsubscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem terminationsystem (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other access terminal.The data terminals 114 can include personal computers, laptop computers,netbook computers, tablets or other computing devices along with digitalsubscriber line (DSL) modems, data over coax service interfacespecification (DOCSIS) modems or other cable modems, a wireless modemsuch as a 4G, 5G, or higher generation modem, an optical modem and/orother access devices.

In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122 can includea 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access point thatoperates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n, 802.11ac or otherwireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124 can include mobilephones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless modems, and/or othermobile computing devices.

In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include a privatebranch exchange or central office switch, a media services gateway, VoIPgateway or other gateway device and/or other switching device. Thetelephony devices 134 can include traditional telephones (with orwithout a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones and/or other telephonydevices.

In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a cablehead-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway or othermedia terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include televisions withor without a set top box, personal computers and/or other displaydevices.

In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include broadcasttelevision and radio sources, video on demand platforms and streamingvideo and audio services platforms, one or more content data networks,data servers, web servers and other content servers, and/or othersources of media.

In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can includewired, optical and/or wireless links and the network elements 150, 152,154, 156, etc. can include service switching points, signal transferpoints, service control points, network gateways, media distributionhubs, servers, firewalls, routers, edge devices, switches and othernetwork nodes for routing and controlling communications traffic overwired, optical and wireless links as part of the Internet and otherpublic networks as well as one or more private networks, for managingsubscriber access, for billing and network management and for supportingother network functions.

Various embodiments described herein provide communications with UAVs tosupport UAV operation in a multitude of applications such as expressdelivery, infrastructure monitoring, and real-time video streaming,among others. For example, in some embodiments, UAVs are equipped withone or more communication devices (e.g., a cellular device) forconnectivity that allows beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations.UAV connectivity requirements (e.g., bandwidth, latency, etc.) may varygreatly depending on desired flight missions. For example, in someembodiments, a UAV used for video streaming may require a high-bandwidthuplink while covering a targeted area. Also for example, in someembodiments, a UAV used for parcel delivery may only require moderateconnectivity for status updating with a ground station. Depending on theapplications, the objective of the UAVs in terms of flight duration andtrajectory may also be different. For example, in some embodiments, suchas when UAVs operate beyond-visual-light-of-sight (BVLOS) with respectto the ground controller, connectivity between the ground controller andthe UAV using communication system 125 may be useful and capable ofproviding wide-band long distance connectivity.

Terrestrial networks such as communication network 125 are typicallyoptimized for terrestrial users whose mobility and channel condition arevery different from the UAVs flying at high altitude. Variousembodiments described herein provide a closed-loop feedback and controlmechanism that may include a network service (referred to herein as a“drone service”) that supports UAV operations. In some embodiments, thedrone service may communicate with a UAV through a lightweight controlchannel to frequently read instantaneous state information of the UAV(e.g., current location, heading in the next n-second interval, signalstrength, downloading and uploading traffic demand, experienced qualityof service, etc.). The drone service may also utilize a set of networkapplication programming interfaces (APIs) to retrieve static and/ordynamic network information describing attributes of the network that isproviding (or will provide) communications services to UAVs. Examples ofnetwork information may include uplink and downlink available capacityand/or bandwidth, base station coverages, antenna patterns, interferenceinformation describing UAV-caused interference at unassociated basestations, and the like. Based on feedback from the network and the UAV,the drone service may utilize intelligent machine learning andoptimization techniques to compute operational information useful to theUAV. For example, the drone service may determine operationalinformation such as a suggested trajectory guidance (e.g., flight path)to the UAV, as well as directing the UAV when to more aggressive uploadand/or download based on its demand so as to optimize the energyconsumption and maximize the throughput.

In some embodiments, the drone service may be implemented within, or aspart of, a communication system. For example, the drone service may beimplemented in a network element such as network element 154. In otherembodiments, the drone service may be implemented on an edge cloud thathas low-latency access to key performance indicator (KPI) informationfrom the cellular base stations (e.g., LTE eNBs and/or 5G gNBs) such asbase station 122. In still further embodiments, the drone service may beimplemented as, or within, a virtual network element. These and otherembodiments are further described below.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limitingembodiment of a system functioning within the communication network ofFIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects described herein. FIG. 2Ashows drone service 210A communicating with UAV 128 and various networkresources such as base stations 220A and 230A. In some embodiments,drone service 210A may be implemented as a network element within acommunication system such as network element 154 within communicationsystem 125. In other embodiments, drone service 210A may be implementedat an edge of the communication system so as to provide low latency whencommunicating with particular network resources such as base stations.In still further embodiments, drone service 210A may be implemented inthe cloud, such as at an edge network within the cloud. In general,drone service 210A may be implemented in any manner without departingfrom the scope of the various embodiments.

Drone 128 (also described above with reference to FIG. 1 ) may be anytype of drone capable of supporting any type of flight requirement. Forexample, in some embodiments, UAV 128 may be designed for parceldelivery, and any single flight may take UAV 128 over a significantdistance with a significant payload. Also for example, in someembodiments, UAV 128 may be a surveillance drone that carries one ormore sensors such as a camera. In these embodiments, UAV 128 may bedispatched to provide surveillance of an event (planned or unplanned)such as a traffic accident, a concert, or some other gathering. In theseembodiments, UAV 128 may record audio or video, or may capture video andstream that video back through the communication system. In thesesurveillance embodiments, UAV 128 may have different requirements ascompared to a delivery drone. For example, when providing surveillance,UAV 128 may not travel over great distances, but may requiresignificantly higher bandwidth. In still further embodiments, UAV 128may be a drone that provides cell service when in flight. For example,UAV 128 may be equipped with a cellular base station such as basestation 122 in order to provide cellular service in areas that areeither underserved or overcrowded.

In operation, drone service 210A may access network state information222A 232A describing a network state of at least a portion of acommunications network. For example, drone service 210A may access anAPI that is capable of providing loading conditions for individual basestations. Examples of loading information may include a number of usersconnected to base station 220A or current bandwidth availability at basestation 230A. In some embodiments, the network state information isstatic information, and in other embodiments, the network stateinformation is dynamic information. Examples of static informationinclude information describing the deployment of the radio accessnetwork such as the location of base stations, the number of antennas atbase stations, and antenna patterns. Examples of dynamic informationinclude information describing real-time operation variables such ascurrently available bandwidth, expected bandwidth, number of usersconnected to base stations, or any other network information that may bedynamic and that may be useful in the operation of drone service 210A.

Drone service 210A may also access operational constraints relating tooperation of UAV 128 at 214A. Examples of operational constraints mayinclude bandwidth requirements, latency requirements, energy usagelimits, altitude limits, current location, heading, speed, andapplication requirements such as delivery or surveillance. In someembodiments, some or all of these operational constraints are retrievednot directly from the UAV, but from a control center or user interfacewhere these constraints are either stored or entered. In someembodiments, these operational constraints are stored on a per UAVbasis, and in other embodiments these operational constraints are storedon a per flight basis. In still further embodiments, the operationalconstraints may be determined using machine learning based on previousUAV flights and other available data.

In some embodiments, drone service 210A may utilize the network stateinformation and any available operational constraints as well as anyother information describing the requirements of a UAV flight todetermine an impact of the network state on the operation of the UAV.For example, a UAV that has a high bandwidth requirement may be impactedif a flight path for the UAV takes it over a series of base stationswith low available bandwidth. Also for example, a surveillance drone maybe required to maintain a particular distance from an event whileproviding surveillance, and one or more available base stations may havealready exceeded a maximum number of connections.

In response to the network state information and any determined impactof the network state on operation of the UAV, drone service 210A mayprovide operational information to UAV 128. Examples of operationalinformation include a modified flight path, multiple suggested flightpaths, commands to change latitude, longitude, height, orientation, orthe like. For example, if UAV 128 has a requirement for high bandwidthduring its flight, drone service 210A may provide a flight path to UAV128 that takes it over or near base stations with an amount of availablebandwidth that satisfies the requirements of UAV 128 while in flight. Inother embodiments, drone service 210A may provide a flight path to UAV128 that satisfies some other constraints such as quality of service,energy usage, and/or flight time. Also for example, drone service 210Amay determine multiple possible flight paths, each of which havingdifferent bandwidth availabilities and or other criteria, and providethese to UAV 128. UAV 128 may then determine which flight path to takebased on its own requirements and/or constraints.

In some embodiments, while in flight, UAV 128 may have a connection witha serving cell or base station. An example is shown in FIG. 2A where UAV128 is connected to base station 220A at 224A. Depending on manypossible factors, such as the height of UAV 128, antenna patterns,antenna orientations, and power levels of the various radios, UAV 128may unsuspectingly cause interference to an unassociated base station.For example, while communicating with base station 220A at 224A, UAV 128may cause interference to base station 230A at 234A. In theseembodiments, drone service 210A may receive interference informationeither directly or indirectly from base station 230A and provideoperational information to UAV 128 in an attempt to mitigate theinterference. Examples of operational information to mitigateinterference may include modifying the flight path of UAV 128, modifyingthe height at which UAV 128 flies, or modifying the latitude andlongitude, and/or the orientation of UAV 128. These and otherembodiments are further described below.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating different UAV flight paths inaccordance with various aspects described herein. FIG. 2B shows a map200B with multiple base stations 250B. Each of these base stations areshown as dots on the map with a prefix of WTL. Base stations 250Bcorrespond to base station 122 (FIG. 1 ) and base stations 220A and 230A(FIG. 2A). Map 200B also shows multiple UAV flight paths from startingpoint 210B to ending point 260B. A default flight path 220B is shown asa straight line between starting point 210B and ending point 260V. Insome embodiments, a UAV that has a constraint corresponding to startingat point 210B and ending at point 260B may take the shortest distancewhich corresponds to default flight path 220B. In some embodiments, if anetwork state of the underlying network that includes base stations 250Bdoes not have any adverse impacts on a UAV following default flight path220B, then the UAV may follow default flight path 220B from startingpoint 210B to ending point 260B while still satisfying any constraintsof its flight mission. In other embodiments, the drone server mayprovide one or more additional possible flight paths in order to satisfyany flight constraints based on a current or predicted network state.For example, base stations along default flight path 220B may havelimited bandwidth, or may be severely loaded. If the constraints of theUAV flight mission require the UAV to have access to significantbandwidth along the flight path, then the drone server may determinethat the current network state will impact the operation of the UAV inthat the default flight path 220B may not provide adequate bandwidth forthe flight mission of the UAV. In these embodiments, based on networkstate information that is retrieved, the drone server may determine thatthe flight path 230B between starting point 210B and ending point 260Bmay be a suitable substitute for the default flight path 220B becausebase stations along the flight path 230B have adequate bandwidth tosatisfy the flight mission constraints.

Many different possible flight paths may be determined or suggestedbased on mission constraints for the UAV and the network state. Forexample, flight path 240B may be determined by the drone service as asuitable flight path optimized for speed and reduced interference. Instill further embodiments, the drone service may determine multiplepossible flight paths between starting point 210B and ending point 260Band provide these flight paths to a UAV along with network stateinformation that the UAV can expect to encounter along the particularpath. For example, flight path 230B might be provided to a UAV with thebandwidth and latency values that the UAV may expect to encounter as ithands off from one base station to the next along flight path 230B. Ingeneral, any amount or type of flight constraints may be retrieved, anytype or amount of network state information may be retrieved, and anynumber of flight paths may be determined based on a combination of theflight constraints and the network state. The drone service may provideoperational information to a UAV in the form of one or more flight pathsoptimized for one or more constraints.

In some embodiments, a flight path may be dynamically altered. Forexample, a UAV with high bandwidth constraints may be provided flightpath 230B by a drone service. The drone may then start flying fromstarting point 210B along flight path 230B. At some point along flightpath 230B the drone may encounter a highly loaded base station that doesnot satisfy the bandwidth constraints, and may report this back to thedrone service. The drone service may then dynamically determine, basedon instantaneous or more recent collection of network state information,an altered flight path along map 200B two ending point 260B.

FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating a UAV communicating with a basestation in a communication network in accordance with various aspectsdescribed herein. FIG. 2C shows UAV 128 providing surveillance of acrash scene 210C. FIG. 2C also shows two base stations 220C and 230C,either of which UAV 128 may associate with. The UAV flight missionillustrated in FIG. 2C differs from the flight mission illustrated inFIG. 2B, in that in FIG. 2C UAV 128 does not necessarily need to travelfrom a starting point to an ending point, but may instead achieve itsmission while remaining relatively stationary and performingsurveillance.

In the example in FIG. 2C, the drone service may receive operationalconstraints for the mission of UAV 128 that may include a bandwidthrequirement for streaming video of crash scene 210C, a minimum altitudeat which UAV 128 may fly, a maximum energy store aboard UAV 128, and thelike. The drone service may determine network state information asdescribed above and then may provide operational information to UAV 128.UAV 128 is shown having an antenna pattern 222C, and base stations 220Cand 230C are shown having antenna patterns to 222C and 232C,respectively. These antenna patterns are for illustration only, and ingeneral are greatly simplified as compared to real-world antennapatterns. During a surveillance flight mission of UAV 128, UAV 128 mayassociate with base station 220C to communicate with a Control Center ora media consumer that consumes the streaming media provided by UAV 128.In part because UAV 128 is in the sky and not on the ground, the antennapatterns of the various base stations may not have high gain in thedirection of UAV 128. In these embodiments, UAV 128, when associatedwith base station 220C, may interfere with signals at base station 230Cwhen at a particular altitude, latitude, and longitude, whereas aterrestrial user equipment (UE) at the same latitude and longitudeassociated with base station 220C may not necessarily interfere withbase station 230C. In these embodiments, the drone service may provideoperational information to UAV 128 in an effort to mitigate anyinterference. For example, the drone service may retrieve network stateinformation corresponding to a noise level at base station 230C and thenthe drone service may provide operational information to UAV 128 tocommand UAV to change its altitude, longitude, latitude, or orientation.Then, in some embodiments, the drone service may repeat the collectionof noise level information from base station 230C to determine whetherany interference has been mitigated. In response, the drone service maytake additional actions and provide additional operational informationto UAV 128 in an attempt to further mitigate the interference. This maybe an iterative process, and may utilize any network state informationuseful to determine operational information in an effort to mitigateinterference.

FIG. 2C also illustrates embodiments in which UAV 128 may provide cellservice over an event, either planned or unplanned, that can benefitfrom cell service in the sky. For example, an event such as a crashscene in a rural area or a concert may benefit from UAV 128 providingcell service from the sky. In these embodiments, the drone service mayretrieve operational constraints relating to the operation of UAV 128 asa cell site base station, and may also retrieve network stateinformation that when combined with the operational constraints may havean impact on the mission of UAV 128. As a result, the drone service mayprovide operational information to UAV 128 to modify the state of UAV128 as described above with reference to previous embodiments.

FIGS. 2D and 2E depict illustrative embodiments of methods in accordancewith various aspects described herein. At 210D of method 200D, networkstate information describing a network state of at least a portion of acommunication network is retrieved by a drone service. In someembodiments, the drone service is a network element, a virtual networkelement, or an edge service running on a cloud infrastructure, that hasaccess to network state information of a communication network that isor will be used to communicate with a UAV. In some embodiments, the UAVwill operate beyond visual line of sight and the communication system isused to provide both control information to the UAV and two exchangedata with the UAV. Examples include retrieving surveillance video fromthe UAV, retrieving current flight information from the UAV such asspeed, altitude, heading, or orientation or exchanging any other controlplane or user plane data with the UAV.

In some embodiments, the network state information is retrieved using anAPI that accesses a store of network state information that is collectedfrom within the communication network. The network state information mayalso be obtained directly from various sources monitoring the networkand providing performance or other data including from the networkelements, UEs, and/or UAVs. The network state information may includeany information relating to any portion or node of a communicationnetwork. For example, the network state information may include loadingat a particular base station, loading at a particular network nodewithin a communications network, and or any expected future valuescorresponding to network operation in the future. Specific examplesinclude current bandwidth available at one or more base stations,expected future bandwidth available at one or more base stations,current latency values at one or more base stations, future latencyvalues at one or more of stations, the number of associated UEs at oneor more base stations, a future expected number of UEs at one or morebase stations, or any other network state information that may be of usewhen determining if operational constraints of UAV will be impacted by anetwork state.

At 220D, operational constraints relating to the operation of a UAV arereceived. In some embodiments, this corresponds to a drone servicereceiving operational constraints directly from a UAV. In otherembodiments, this corresponds to a drone service receiving operationalconstraints from a Control Center, a database, or a user interface, orany other device or store capable of providing operational constraintsof a UAV flight mission. Examples of operational constraints includeflight starting points and ending points, minimum and/or maximumaltitude values, maximum speed, maximum payload, bandwidth requirements(either in total or over time along the route) latency requirements, orthe like.

At 230D an impact of the network state on operation of the UAV isdetermined, and at 240D, operational information for the UAV isdetermined based at least in part on the network state and operationalconstraints. In some embodiments, this may include an impact of apredicted network state on the UAV over the course of the flight pathwhich can be updated as additional data is obtained, and which ispredicted based on various information including historical networkconditions, future scheduled events such as maintenance, and so forth.Also in some embodiments, this corresponds to a drone servicedetermining if the operational constraints of the UAV can be satisfiedgiven the current or future network state described by the network stateinformation retrieved at 210D. For example, a particular operationalconstraint may include a minimum bandwidth, and a default flight pathmay be a straight line between a starting point and ending point. Thedrone service may determine that the available bandwidth along thestraight line route between the starting point and the ending point issufficient to satisfy the operational constraints, and determine thatthere is no impact. In these embodiments, the drone service may informthe UAV to fly along the default flight path and expect to havesufficient bandwidth. Also for example, the drone service may determinethat the available bandwidth along the straight line route between thestarting point and the ending point may not have sufficient bandwidth tosupport the operational constraints of the UAV flight mission. As aresult, the drone service may determine that the network state will havean impact on the operation of the UAV, and may take appropriate action.Example actions that the drone service may take may include determiningan alternate flight path that satisfies the operational constraints ofthe UAV mission. An example is shown in FIG. 2B in which one flight pathis optimized for bandwidth and another flight path is optimized forspeed and reduced interference.

At 250D, the operational information is provided to the UAV. In someembodiments, this corresponds to providing a flight path to the UAV, orproviding multiple flight paths to the UAV along with constraintinformation that will allow the UAV or a Control Center to select amongthe available flight paths. Also in some embodiments, this maycorrespond to commanding the UAV to change its altitude, change itslatitude and/or longitude, and/or change its power level. This may be inresponse to determining that the UAV is causing interference to anunassociated base station. This also may be in response to the droneservice determining alterations to the flight path while the UAV isflying from a starting point to an ending point.

Referring now to FIG. 2E, at 210E of method 200E, a drone servicedetermines whether a base station is subject to interference caused by aUAV. In some embodiments, this corresponds to a drone service retrievingnetwork state information that describes a noise level at a base stationclose to, or within range of, a UAV. If the noise level is higher thanexpected, the drone service may determine that interference to the basestation is likely being caused by the nearby UAV. At 220, the droneservice determines an action for the UAV to take to potentially reduceinterference. In some embodiments, this corresponds to reducing a powerlevel of the UAV. In other embodiments, this may correspond tocommanding the UAV to reduce its altitude or to change its orientationsuch that an antenna gain pointing at the base station experiencinginterference will be reduced. At 230E, the UAV is commanded to take theaction. This may correspond to a drone service communicating with theUAV over a control channel through the communication network. The UAVmay be beyond visual line of sight, and connected to the Control Centerthrough the communication network, and the drone service may be able tocommand the UAV to take action even though the UAV is beyond visual lineof sight of the Control Center.

In some embodiments, the actions of FIG. 2E may be iterative. Forexample, a drone service may determine a noise level at a particularbase station, determine an action for the UAV to take, and then commandthe UAV to take that particular action. The drone service may thencollect the same network state information corresponding to noise levelsat the base station, and based on a change in the noise level or a lackof change in the noise level, the drone service may determine furtheractions for the UAV to take and command the UAV to take those particularactions.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIGS. 2D and2E, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subjectmatter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks mayoccur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks fromwhat is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustratedblocks may be required to implement the methods described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , a block diagram 300 is shown illustrating anexample, non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized communication networkin accordance with various aspects described herein. In particular avirtualized communication network is presented that can be used toimplement some or all of the subsystems and functions of systems andmethods described with reference to previous figures. For example,virtualized communication network 300 can facilitate in whole or in partthe operation of UAVs.

In particular, a cloud networking architecture is shown that leveragescloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and scalability via atransport layer 350, a virtualized network function cloud 325 and/or oneor more cloud computing environments 375. In various embodiments, thiscloud networking architecture is an open architecture that leveragesapplication programming interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity fromservices and operations; supports more nimble business models; andrapidly and seamlessly scales to meet evolving customer requirementsincluding traffic growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity ofperformance and reliability expectations.

In contrast to traditional network elements—which are typicallyintegrated to perform a single function, the virtualized communicationnetwork employs virtual network elements (VNEs) 330, 332, 334, etc. thatperform some or all of the functions of network elements 150, 152, 154,156, etc. For example, the network architecture can provide a substrateof networking capability, often called Network Function VirtualizationInfrastructure (NFVI) or simply infrastructure that is capable of beingdirected with software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocolsto perform a broad variety of network functions and services. Thisinfrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most typicaltype of substrate being servers that support Network FunctionVirtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding capabilities basedon generic computing resources, with specialized network technologiesbrought to bear when general purpose processors or general purposeintegrated circuit devices offered by merchants (referred to herein asmerchant silicon) are not appropriate. In this case, communicationservices can be implemented as cloud-centric workloads.

As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in FIG. 1 ),such as an edge router can be implemented via a VNE 330 composed of NFVsoftware modules, merchant silicon, and associated controllers. Thesoftware can be written so that increasing workload consumes incrementalresources from a common resource pool, and moreover so that it'selastic: so the resources are only consumed when needed. In a similarfashion, other network elements such as other routers, switches, edgecaches, and middle-boxes are instantiated from the common resource pool.Such sharing of infrastructure across a broad set of uses makes planningand growing infrastructure easier to manage.

In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber, cable, wiredand/or wireless transport elements, network elements and interfaces toprovide broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130,media access 140 and/or access to content sources 175 for distributionof content to any or all of the access technologies. In particular, insome cases a network element needs to be positioned at a specific place,and this allows for less sharing of common infrastructure. Other times,the network elements have specific physical layer adapters that cannotbe abstracted or virtualized, and might require special DSP code andanalog front-ends (AFEs) that do not lend themselves to implementationas VNEs 330, 332 or 334. These network elements can be included intransport layer 350.

The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with the transportlayer 350 to provide the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide specificNFVs. In particular, the virtualized network function cloud 325leverages cloud operations, applications, and architectures to supportnetworking workloads. The virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334can employ network function software that provides either a one-for-onemapping of traditional network element function or alternately somecombination of network functions designed for cloud computing. Forexample, VNEs 330, 332 and 334 can include route reflectors, domain namesystem (DNS) servers, and dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)servers, system architecture evolution (SAE) and/or mobility managemententity (MME) gateways, broadband network gateways, IP edge routers forIP-VPN, Ethernet and other services, load balancers, distributers andother network elements. Because these elements don't typically need toforward large amounts of traffic, their workload can be distributedacross a number of servers—each of which adds a portion of thecapability, and overall which creates an elastic function with higheravailability than its former monolithic version. These virtual networkelements 330, 332, 334, etc. can be instantiated and managed using anorchestration approach similar to those used in cloud compute services.

The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the virtualizednetwork function cloud 325 via APIs that expose functional capabilitiesof the VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide the flexible and expandedcapabilities to the virtualized network function cloud 325. Inparticular, network workloads may have applications distributed acrossthe virtualized network function cloud 325 and cloud computingenvironment 375 and in the commercial cloud, or might simply orchestrateworkloads supported entirely in NFV infrastructure from these thirdparty locations.

Turning now to FIG. 4 , there is illustrated a block diagram of acomputing environment in accordance with various aspects describedherein. In order to provide additional context for various embodimentsof the embodiments described herein, FIG. 4 and the following discussionare intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitablecomputing environment 400 in which the various embodiments of thesubject disclosure can be implemented. In particular, computingenvironment 400 can be used in the implementation of network elements150, 152, 154, 156, access terminal 112, base station or access point122, switching device 132, media terminal 142, and/or VNEs 330, 332,334, etc. Each of these devices can be implemented viacomputer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers,and/or in combination with other program modules and/or as a combinationof hardware and software. For example, computing environment 400 canfacilitate in whole or in part the operation of UAVs.

Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, datastructures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the methods can be practiced with other computer systemconfigurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computersystems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can beoperatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more processors aswell as other application specific circuits such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit, state machine,programmable gate array or other circuit that processes input signals ordata and that produces output signals or data in response thereto. Itshould be noted that while any functions and features described hereinin association with the operation of a processor could likewise beperformed by a processing circuit.

The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be alsopracticed in distributed computing environments where certain tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which cancomprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media,which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows.Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implementedin connection with any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured dataor unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to,random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM),flash memory or othermemory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digitalversatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devicesor other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to storedesired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or“non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory orcomputer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude onlypropagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquishrights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media thatare not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local orremote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or otherdata retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect tothe information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any informationdelivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signalsrefers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set orchanged in such a manner as to encode information in one or moresignals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication mediacomprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wiredconnection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and otherwireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 4 , the example environment can comprise acomputer 402, the computer 402 comprising a processing unit 404, asystem memory 406 and a system bus 408. The system bus 408 couplessystem components including, but not limited to, the system memory 406to the processing unit 404. The processing unit 404 can be any ofvarious commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors andother multiprocessor architectures can also be employed as theprocessing unit 404.

The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus structure that canfurther interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofcommercially available bus architectures. The system memory 406comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can bestored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable readonly memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines thathelp to transfer information between elements within the computer 402,such as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAMsuch as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 414(e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal HDD 414 can also be configured forexternal use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy diskdrive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette418) and an optical disk drive 420, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or,to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as theDVD). The HDD 414, magnetic FDD 416 and optical disk drive 420 can beconnected to the system bus 408 by a hard disk drive interface 424, amagnetic disk drive interface 426 and an optical drive interface 428,respectively. The hard disk drive interface 424 for external driveimplementations comprises at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus(USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies arewithin contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media providenonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executableinstructions, and so forth. For the computer 402, the drives and storagemedia accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format.Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refersto a hard disk drive (HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and aremovable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that other types of storage media which arereadable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flashmemory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the exampleoperating environment, and further, that any such storage media cancontain computer-executable instructions for performing the methodsdescribed herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 412,comprising an operating system 430, one or more application programs432, other program modules 434 and program data 436. All or portions ofthe operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also becached in the RAM 412. The systems and methods described herein can beimplemented utilizing various commercially available operating systemsor combinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 402 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 438 and apointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other input devices (not shown)can comprise a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a joystick,a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. These and otherinput devices are often connected to the processing unit 404 through aninput device interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408,but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, anIEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port,an IR interface, etc.

A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also connected tothe system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video adapter 446. Itwill also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 444can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display,a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving displayinformation associated with computer 402 via any communication means,including via the Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to themonitor 444, a computer typically comprises other peripheral outputdevices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or moreremote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448. The remotecomputer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, apersonal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainmentappliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallycomprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer402, although, for purposes of brevity, only a remote memory/storagedevice 450 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprisewired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452 and/orlarger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such LAN and WANnetworking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, andfacilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all ofwhich can connect to a global communications network, e.g., theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402 can beconnected to the LAN 452 through a wired and/or wireless communicationnetwork interface or adapter 456. The adapter 456 can facilitate wiredor wireless communication to the LAN 452, which can also comprise awireless AP disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 456.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402 can comprisea modem 458 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN454 or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 454,such as by way of the Internet. The modem 458, which can be internal orexternal and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the systembus 408 via the input device interface 442. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portionsthereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It willbe appreciated that the network connections shown are example and othermeans of establishing a communications link between the computers can beused.

The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, restroom), and telephone. This can comprise WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, thecommunication can be a predefined structure as with a conventionalnetwork or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bedin a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is awireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enablessuch devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out;anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radiotechnologies called IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to providesecure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can beused to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wirednetworks (which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operatein the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with productsthat contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can providereal-world performance similar to the basic 10 BaseT wired Ethernetnetworks used in many offices.

Turning now to FIG. 5 , an embodiment 500 of a mobile network platform510 is shown that is an example of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156,and/or VNEs 330, 332, 334, etc. For example, platform 510 can facilitatein whole or in part the operation of UAVs. In one or more embodiments,the mobile network platform 510 can generate and receive signalstransmitted and received by base stations or access points such as basestation or access point 122. Generally, mobile network platform 510 cancomprise components, e.g., nodes, gateways, interfaces, servers, ordisparate platforms, that facilitate both packet-switched (PS) (e.g.,internet protocol (IP), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM))and circuit-switched (CS) traffic (e.g., voice and data), as well ascontrol generation for networked wireless telecommunication. As anon-limiting example, mobile network platform 510 can be included intelecommunications carrier networks, and can be considered carrier-sidecomponents as discussed elsewhere herein. Mobile network platform 510comprises CS gateway node(s) 512 which can interface CS traffic receivedfrom legacy networks like telephony network(s) 540 (e.g., publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), or public land mobile network (PLMN))or a signaling system #7 (SS7) network 560. CS gateway node(s) 512 canauthorize and authenticate traffic (e.g., voice) arising from suchnetworks. Additionally, CS gateway node(s) 512 can access mobility, orroaming, data generated through SS7 network 560; for instance, mobilitydata stored in a visited location register (VLR), which can reside inmemory 530. Moreover, CS gateway node(s) 512 interfaces CS-based trafficand signaling and PS gateway node(s) 518. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTSnetwork, CS gateway node(s) 512 can be realized at least in part ingateway GPRS support node(s) (GGSN). It should be appreciated thatfunctionality and specific operation of CS gateway node(s) 512, PSgateway node(s) 518, and serving node(s) 516, is provided and dictatedby radio technology(ies) utilized by mobile network platform 510 fortelecommunication over a radio access network 520 with other devices,such as a radiotelephone 575.

In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic andsignaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and authenticatePS-based data sessions with served mobile devices. Data sessions cancomprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to themobile network platform 510, like wide area network(s) (WANs) 550,enterprise network(s) 570, and service network(s) 580, which can beembodied in local area network(s) (LANs), can also be interfaced withmobile network platform 510 through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to benoted that WANs 550 and enterprise network(s) 570 can embody, at leastin part, a service network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Basedon radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) orradio access network 520, PS gateway node(s) 518 can generate packetdata protocol contexts when a data session is established; other datastructures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can begenerated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 cancomprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG) in3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetizedcommunication with disparate wireless network(s), such as Wi-Finetworks.

In embodiment 500, mobile network platform 510 also comprises servingnode(s) 516 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) withintechnology resource(s) in the radio access network 520, convey thevarious packetized flows of data streams received through PS gatewaynode(s) 518. It is to be noted that for technology resource(s) that relyprimarily on CS communication, server node(s) can deliver trafficwithout reliance on PS gateway node(s) 518; for example, server node(s)can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. As an example, ina 3GPP UMTS network, serving node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving GPRSsupport node(s) (SGSN).

For radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s)514 in mobile network platform 510 can execute numerous applicationsthat can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows,and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format . . . ) such flows. Suchapplication(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (forexample, provisioning, billing, customer support . . . ) provided bymobile network platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that arepart of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gatewaynode(s) 518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a datasession, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter. Inaddition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise utilityserver(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, anoperations and maintenance server, a security server that can implementat least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as othersecurity mechanisms, and the like. In an aspect, security server(s)secure communication served through mobile network platform 510 toensure network's operation and data integrity in addition toauthorization and authentication procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512and PS gateway node(s) 518 can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s)can provision services from external network(s) like networks operatedby a disparate service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or GlobalPositioning System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s)can also provision coverage through networks associated to mobilenetwork platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same serviceprovider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in FIG. 1(s)that enhance wireless service coverage by providing more networkcoverage.

It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or more processorsconfigured to confer at least in part the functionality of mobilenetwork platform 510. To that end, the one or more processors canexecute code instructions stored in memory 530, for example. It shouldbe appreciated that server(s) 514 can comprise a content manager, whichoperates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore.

In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information related tooperation of mobile network platform 510. Other operational informationcan comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served throughmobile network platform 510, subscriber databases; applicationintelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rateprograms, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistentwith telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, orwireless, technology layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also storeinformation from at least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, SS7network 560, or enterprise network(s) 570. In an aspect, memory 530 canbe, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as aremotely connected memory store.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIG. 5 , and the following discussion, are intended toprovide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in whichthe various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented.While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on acomputer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize thatthe disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination withother program modules. Generally, program modules comprise routines,programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particulartasks and/or implement particular abstract data types.

Turning now to FIG. 6 , an illustrative embodiment of a communicationdevice 600 is shown. The communication device 600 can serve as anillustrative embodiment of devices such as data terminals 114, mobiledevices 124, vehicle 126, display devices 144 or other client devicesfor communication via either communications network 125. For example,computing device 600 can facilitate in whole or in part the operation ofUAVs.

The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, apower supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, anorientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 608 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interfacehaving graphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by auser with a touch of a finger. The display 610 can be equipped withcapacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect howmuch surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of thetouch screen display. This sensing information can be used to controlthe manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of the userinterface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the housingassembly of the communication device 600 or an independent devicecommunicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (suchas a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable communications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a slot for adding or removing an identity modulesuch as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card or Universal IntegratedCircuit Card (UICC). SIM or UICC cards can be used for identifyingsubscriber services, executing programs, storing subscriber data, and soon.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, as used in theclaims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only anddoesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For instance, “afirst determination,” “a second determination,” and “a thirddetermination,” does not indicate or imply that the first determinationis to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc.

In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “datastore,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any otherinformation storage component relevant to operation and functionality ofa component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a“memory” or components comprising the memory. It will be appreciatedthat the memory components described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile andnonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatilememory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. Further,nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory cancomprise random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cachememory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available inmany forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM),synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhancedSDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).Additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methodsherein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising,these and any other suitable types of memory.

Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can bepracticed with other computer system configurations, comprisingsingle-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computingdevices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-heldcomputing devices (e.g., PDA, phone, smartphone, watch, tabletcomputers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. Theillustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network; however, some if not allaspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alonecomputers. In a distributed computing environment, program modules canbe located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

In one or more embodiments, information regarding use of services can begenerated including services being accessed, media consumption history,user preferences, and so forth. This information can be obtained byvarious methods including user input, detecting types of communications(e.g., video content vs. audio content), analysis of content streams,sampling, and so forth. The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring ofthis information can be responsive to an authorization provided by theuser. In one or more embodiments, an analysis of data can be subject toauthorization from user(s) associated with the data, such as an opt-in,an opt-out, acknowledgement requirements, notifications, selectiveauthorization based on types of data, and so forth.

Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificialintelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more featuresdescribed herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection withautomatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximumvalue/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) canemploy various AI-based schemes for carrying out various embodimentsthereof. Moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a rankingor priority of each cell site of the acquired network. A classifier is afunction that maps an input attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . ,xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is,f(x)=confidence (class). Such classification can employ a probabilisticand/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysisutilities and costs) to determine or infer an action that a user desiresto be automatically performed. A support vector machine (SVM) is anexample of a classifier that can be employed. The SVM operates byfinding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which thehypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from thenon-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes the classificationcorrect for testing data that is near, but not identical to trainingdata. Other directed and undirected model classification approachescomprise, e.g., naïve Bayes, Bayesian networks, decision trees, neuralnetworks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification modelsproviding different patterns of independence can be employed.Classification as used herein also is inclusive of statisticalregression that is utilized to develop models of priority.

As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments canemploy classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generictraining data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing UEbehavior, operator preferences, historical information, receivingextrinsic information). For example, SVMs can be configured via alearning or training phase within a classifier constructor and featureselection module. Thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automaticallylearn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited todetermining according to predetermined criteria which of the acquiredcell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which ofthe acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existingcommunication network coverage, etc.

As used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, theterms “component,” “system” and the like are intended to refer to, orcomprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to anoperational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, whereinthe entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. As an example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By wayof illustration and not limitation, both an application running on aserver and the server can be a component. One or more components mayreside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component maybe localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers. In addition, these components can execute from variouscomputer readable media having various data structures stored thereon.The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such asin accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., datafrom one component interacting with another component in a local system,distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet withother systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be anapparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical partsoperated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by asoftware or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein theprocessor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes atleast a part of the software or firmware application. As yet anotherexample, a component can be an apparatus that provides specificfunctionality through electronic components without mechanical parts,the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to executesoftware or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality ofthe electronic components. While various components have beenillustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiplecomponents can be implemented as a single component, or a singlecomponent can be implemented as multiple components, without departingfrom example embodiments.

Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method,apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/orengineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or anycombination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosedsubject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein isintended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communicationsmedia. For example, computer readable storage media can include, but arenot limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk,magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digitalversatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g.,card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art willrecognize many modifications can be made to this configuration withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.

In addition, the words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to meanserving as an instance or illustration. Any embodiment or designdescribed herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments ordesigns. Rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended topresent concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, theterm “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive“or”. That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, “Xemploys A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusivepermutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both Aand B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoinginstances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in thisapplication and the appended claims should generally be construed tomean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context tobe directed to a singular form.

Moreover, terms such as “user equipment,” “mobile station,” “mobile,”subscriber station,” “access terminal,” “terminal,” “handset,” “mobiledevice” (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to awireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wirelesscommunication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video,sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. Theforegoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with referenceto the related drawings.

Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer” andthe like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless contextwarrants particular distinctions among the terms. It should beappreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automatedcomponents supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacityto make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms),which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.

As employed herein, the term “processor” can refer to substantially anycomputing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited tocomprising, single-core processors; single-processors with softwaremultithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-coreprocessors with software multithread execution capability; multi-coreprocessors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; andparallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, aprocessor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), acomplex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. Processors can exploitnano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular andquantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimizespace usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor canalso be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

As used herein, terms such as “data storage,” data storage,” “database,”and substantially any other information storage component relevant tooperation and functionality of a component, refer to “memorycomponents,” or entities embodied in a “memory” or components comprisingthe memory. It will be appreciated that the memory components orcomputer-readable storage media, described herein can be either volatilememory or nonvolatile memory or can include both volatile andnonvolatile memory.

What has been described above includes mere examples of variousembodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art canrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the presentembodiments are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/orclaimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes”is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term isintended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as“comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in aclaim.

In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue”indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that thesteps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used inconjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates thebeginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by otheractivities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indicationreflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/ormay be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further,while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, otherorderings are likewise possible provided that the principles ofcausality are maintained.

As may also be used herein, the term(s) “operably coupled to”, “coupledto”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/orindirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. Suchitems and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions,communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functionalblocks, and/or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signalconveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one ormore intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format ofinformation in a signal, while one or more elements of the informationin the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can berecognized by the second item. In a further example of indirectcoupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the seconditem, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more interveningitems.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations, the operations comprising: retrieving network stateinformation describing a network state of at least a portion of acommunication network; determining an impact of the network state onoperation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); and responsive to theimpact of the network state on the operation of the UAV, providingoperational information to the UAV.
 2. The device of claim 1, whereinthe operations further comprise: receiving operational constraintsrelating to operation of the UAV; and determining the operationalinformation based at least in part on the network state information andthe operational constraints.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein thenetwork state information describes at least one static attribute of thecommunication network.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the at leastone static attribute comprises an antenna pattern.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the network state information describes at least onedynamic attribute of the communication network.
 6. The device of claim5, wherein the at least one dynamic attribute comprises a network nodeload.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the determining the impactcomprises determining a future impact on the operation of the UAV whenthe UAV is to be communicatively coupled to the communication network inthe future.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the network stateinformation comprises expected bandwidth availability at a plurality ofnetwork nodes, and the operational information comprises a planned routefor the UAV.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the determining theimpact comprises determining a current impact on the operation of theUAV while the UAV is currently communicating with a network node of thecommunication network.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the networkstate information comprises currently available bandwidth at the networknode.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the operational informationcomprises a flight path for the UAV.
 12. The device of claim 1, whereinthe operational information comprises an altitude.
 13. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the operational information comprises a latitude and alongitude.
 14. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprisingexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processing systemincluding a processor, facilitate performance of operations, theoperations comprising: retrieving network state information describing anetwork state of at least a portion of a communication network;determining an impact of the network state on operation of an unmannedaerial vehicle (UAV); and responsive to the impact of the network stateon the operation of the UAV, providing operational information to theUAV.
 15. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 14,wherein the operational information comprises a flight path for the UAV.16. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein theoperational information comprises an altitude.
 17. The non-transitory,machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operational informationcomprises a latitude and a longitude.
 18. A method comprising:retrieving, by a processing system including a processor, network stateinformation describing a network state of at least a portion of acommunication network; determining, by the processing system, an impactof the network state on operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);and responsive to the impact of the network state on the operation ofthe UAV, providing, by the processing system, operational information tothe UAV.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: receiving, bythe processing system, operational constraints relating to operation ofthe UAV; and determining, by the processing system, the operationalinformation based at least in part on the network state information andthe operational constraints.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein thedetermining the impact comprises determining, by the processing system,a future impact on the operation of the UAV when the UAV is to becommunicatively coupled to the communication network in the future.